This is Why Dating Apps Aren’t Actually The Worst
Today, thanks to technology, sliding into someone’s DMs around midnight is the equivalent of having the courage to walk up to someone and ask them on a date. Through simply downloading an app on your phone, you now have the opportunity to sit there in the comfort of your own bed and judge people solely based on appearance. Since dating apps - and the internet in general - came along, it’s become increasingly easy for liars to lie, predators to prey, and nasty people to trick the innocent and the ignorant. Thanks to dating apps, the dating game is dangerous, and if you’re not careful, you could put yourself in harm’s way without even realizing it.
There’s something I want to ask you, though… if dating apps didn’t exist, would hook ups still happen, cowards still cower, judgment still be passed, liars still lie, tricksters still trick, and predators still prey? If you think the answer is no, you’re kidding yourself.
There are so many excuses people make as to why dating apps are the worst. They say you don’t really know who you’re talking to, you don’t know anything about them… well, that argument is invalid, because when you walk up to someone you find attractive and meet them for the first time in person, you don’t know anything about them either. And for those of you who are about to say, “what if I’m good friends with them, or I know them from class, or work?” Well, the same thing still applies. You had to meet them and learn about them, and even if you do know them from class, or as a friend, you still don’t know if they have a dark side, what they would be like in a relationship, or how you two mesh together. Dating has always been a game of chance.
I know, I know. Next you’re going to say that dating apps are impersonal and shallow. And to that I say: why yes they are; but what people refuse to acknowledge is that dating in general, in the beginning, is really impersonal and shallow. Allow me to explain my thoughts. When you’re swiping on Tinder you probably swipe right on the hot guys and girls, right? Right. If you were to walk up to someone and chat them up, would it be someone ugly or attractive? Attractive, right? Right.
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As much as we want to say that we look for personality first, it’s not true. You first find someone attractive, and then you date them to get to know them, know their personality. So dating, in the beginning, is shallow. Dating is also going to be impersonal at first no matter what, because how can it be personal? You don’t know anything about each other except that they’re good looking, they seem nice, and you both like soccer, and maybe there might be a spark there if you’re lucky. But you won’t know for sure, and you won’t know anything more about them until you continue dating them. Thus, dating, in the beginning, is impersonal.
Now that all of this has been said, I hope you’re beginning to realize that a dating app is a way to create a connection, to kick-start the dating process in the same way meeting someone in person and getting their number does. Dating apps are the worst? Haha no. DATING is the worst. That is… until you find the right date.
I actually found the right date on Tinder. We have been together for a year and a half, and we have a really great relationship. Now, I’m not trying to tell you to jump right on Tinder or any other dating app. No. What I’m saying is that dating is a game of chance, a game of waiting, and a game of luck, and through technology you now have the chance to play the game online or old school. As long as you’re careful, feel free to roll the dice.